Guests: Chirag Patel, Eva Bertilsson, and Emelie Johnson Vegh
Chirag Patel entered the field professionally in 2004 and has since become a leading figure in the profession internationally. He consults on the behaviour management and training of all animals living under human care (including domestic and wild ones). He is highly sought after for work with high-profile private clients, organisations as well as teaching workshops and presenting at conferences. Chirag has been an expert on a number of TV shows including on BBC 1’s TV Series Nightmare Pets SOS and more recently 5 Stars’ Cats and Dogs at War has given TV interviews worldwide.
Chirag is passionate about the application of ethical behaviour change science to improve the life of animals living under human care by teaching animals to be active participants in their own daily and veterinary care in a low-stress manner. The goal is to empower all learners including the human ones.
Chirag earned his BSc(Hons) in Veterinary Sciences from the Royal Veterinary College in London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Animal Behaviour from the University of Lincoln, UK. He also holds an Advanced diploma in practical aspects of companion animal behaviour and training from the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology. In 2005, Chirag completed an internship in dog behaviour and training with a focus on aggressive behaviour under the mentorship of Jean Donaldson at the San Francisco SPCA and developed his understanding and skills in puppy training under the mentorship of Ian Dunbar PhD, BVetMed, MRCVS. Chirag has taken various classes and courses in Applied Behaviour Analysis and currently continues to do so in the fields of Applied Behaviour Analysis and Clinical Animal Behaviour. Chirag is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (00923) and has previously served on their committee. He has also been invited and accepted as a Certified Parrot Behaviour Consultant (CPBC), with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC). And is registered as an Accredited Animal Behaviourist with The Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC). He was invited to join the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), Animal Training Focus group as the scientific officer and external consultant in 2015, which he did until 2021.
Chirag’s currents and previous clients include A-List celebrities, other high profile clients and leading organisations such as Guides Dogs for the Blind Association UK, The Kong Company, various police dog units, humane societies, research facilities, zoos and aquariums. Previously Chirag has worked for Dogs Trust as Assistant Head of Canine Training & Behaviour. Managed the Animal Behaviour Centre at Dr Roger Mugford’s Company of Animals in Chertsey, Surrey. He has also held a post at the University of Lincoln, as a research technician responsible for the training of Rats and Degus in a sponsored odour discrimination and Indiction project. In addition to this Chirag worked in veterinary practices part-time for over 6 years.
Chirag also has an internationally selling DVD called ‘From Brain to Bite: understanding, managing and modifying aggressive behaviour in dogs”. His YouTube Channel that has accumulated over a million views and provides free resources for pet owners and professionals, you can access this channel by clicking here.
Emelie Johnson Vegh works in the collaboration Carpe Momentum together with Eva Bertilsson. Their goal is to help people acquire knowledge and skills in science-based, modern, humane, and empowering teaching strategies for the benefit of learners of all species. Within Carpe Momentum she teaches seminars on the general principles of behavior and learning, coaches trainers in the skill of creating great training sessions regardless of venue or species. Emelie has experience from a variety of venues and has competed in various dog sports with several dogs of various breeds. Currently, she’s working with her young Field Golden retriever Tessa, getting her ready for a number of different sports. Emelie also enjoys many different other sports and finding ways of breaking them down and teaching them to others, both adults and children. Her goal is to make learning accessible, interesting, and fun!
Set up for success, break the skill down and make sure to ensure R +, whether it has to do with teaching your dog to heel, yourself to get into a running regime or helping your child learn to structure their homework! Emelie studied to be a teacher in Swedish and English at Lund University, together with further studies of both linguistics and children’s literature. She writes fiction for adults and has published a series of children’s books with some focus on positive reinforcement training. She also works as a translator and editor, reveling in finding ways to tell stories and make information available to a great many people. Together with Eva, she published the book Agility Right From the Start (Sunshine Books, 2010). The book outlines the colleagues’ philosophy and structured approach to training, making it a worthy read not only for agility enthusiasts. Emelie has been part of the Clicker Expo faculty for many years, teaching together with Eva. “E&E” also introduced TAGteach to Scandinavia in 2005 and were the first European TAGteach faculty.
Emelie Johnson Vegh works in the collaboration Carpe Momentum together with Eva Bertilsson. Their goal is to help people acquire knowledge and skills in science-based, modern, humane, and empowering teaching strategies for the benefit of learners of all species. Within Carpe Momentum she teaches seminars on the general principles of behavior and learning, coaches trainers in the skill of creating great training sessions regardless of venue or species. Emelie has experience from a variety of venues and has competed in various dog sports with several dogs of various breeds. Currently, she’s working with her young Field Golden retriever Tessa, getting her ready for a number of different sports. Emelie also enjoys many different other sports and finding ways of breaking them down and teaching them to others, both adults and children. Her goal is to make learning accessible, interesting, and fun!
Set up for success, break the skill down and make sure to ensure R +, whether it has to do with teaching your dog to heel, yourself to get into a running regime or helping your child learn to structure their homework! Emelie studied to be a teacher in Swedish and English at Lund University, together with further studies of both linguistics and children’s literature. She writes fiction for adults and has published a series of children’s books with some focus on positive reinforcement training. She also works as a translator and editor, reveling in finding ways to tell stories and make information available to a great many people. Together with Eva, she published the book Agility Right From the Start (Sunshine Books, 2010). The book outlines the colleagues’ philosophy and structured approach to training, making it a worthy read not only for agility enthusiasts. Emelie has been part of the Clicker Expo faculty for many years, teaching together with Eva. “E&E” also introduced TAGteach to Scandinavia in 2005 and were the first European TAGteach faculty.
In this episode we discuss:
- What is the value of having someone watch your training session?
- What is the value of watching someone else’s training session?
- When watching a training session, what do you look for?
- The difference in skills between doing a thing and talking about a thing.
- The challenge of being neutral when observing.
- Improving your creativity as a trainer.
- How to handle BEING watched and receiving feedback.
Links Mentioned:
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